Shine Lady

Leigh Hall, 4 Cumberland St, Leigh, north of Auckland

18/05/2011 - 21/05/2011

TAPAC - The Auckland Performing Arts Centre, Auckland

25/05/2011 - 30/05/2011

Production Details


Combining the talents of renowned artist Mike Petre, and performers; Liz Kirk, Julie van Renen and Liana Yew, SHINE LADY brings to life the striking images of female divinity including the Madonna and the Hindu goddess’ Kali and Pavarti. Full of strange surprises, humour and pathos with music from Bach to Bandicoot this new work creates an other worldly experience designed to entrance and inspire audiences.
 

Dancers: Elizabeth Kirk, Julie Van Renen, Liana Yew

1 hr

A bejewelled celebration of the primordial feminine

Review by Bernadette Rae 27th May 2011

Choreographer Ann Dewey and her three gorgeous dancers began this work as an exploration of the movement of plate tectonics and microscopic life, and whether purely abstract movement was possible.  The result is a bejewelled celebration of the primordial feminine cosmic energy: of goddess power in all its manifestations, from Pavarti to the Madonna.

 

Raed the full review: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/theatre/news/article.cfm?c_id=343&objectid=10727367

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A fluid, feminine performance

Review by Roxanne de Bruyn 27th May 2011

Watching Shine Lady is like wandering into another world for little while, or at least visiting a different part of this one. It is a fluid, feminine performance, with lovely dancing that takes the audience on a journey through the earthly and the abstract.
 
Drawing inspiration from nature, Ann Dewey’s latest work is a celebration of the feminine. The choreography is powerful and deliberate, allowing the dancers to show their strength and expression. It is an otherworldly and complex piece which uses contrasting movement and a diverse range of music. Interesting and quirky, Shine Lady is a bit odd and very creative, reflecting the movements of the earth and its sometimes inexplicable turns.
 
Much of the choreography is beautiful and calm, showing sensual movement and the transition of energy through space and time, yet there is an unpredictable edge to the performance. One moment quirky and whimsical, the next wild and frenzied, it explores the precise, playful and capricious nature of divinity and the chaos which can arise from it.
 
Brightly coloured fabric in jewelled hues gives context to the work, embodying both the physical world and the sacred. Using the fabric, the dancers switch roles and identities in a heartbeat. It also allows them to give a nod to the ancient practices of enrobing and moving cult statues of goddesses.
 
Throughout the performance there are signs of early cultures and mystical traditions, giving it the weight of a legend or an epic tale. The story is engrossing and flows well, although there is an incongruous piece at the end with spinning male dolls which is open to interpretation.
 
Overall, the audience is left with the impression of witnessing something which is far above and beyond the everyday world. Like the great oral traditions of the past, Shine Lady gives us insight into nature, the divine and the cycles of the earth, using dance instead to words to do so.

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